Revolving guard for cycle-chains



No. 622,442. Patented Apr. 4, i899. C. M. BROWNELL. REVOLVING GUARD FOR CYCLE CHAINS.

(Application filed Aug. 6, 1898.)

(No Model.)

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the parts.

Units STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLARENCE M. BROVVNELL, OF STROUDSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

REVOLVING GUARD FOR CYCLE-CHAINS SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 622,442, dated April {1, 189i Application filed August 6, 1898. Serial No. 687,941. (No model.)

apart upon or about said guard, being held in position by strips of rubber 0, extending across the clip. The side members 0 of the clips extend down on each side of the guard and have lips or projections c on their ends, which extend inward to correspond to the lips on the guard and insure the holding of the guard to the chain. It will thus be seen that the guard being flexible and to a certain degree elastic will fit closely upon the chain and travel therewith and will be efiectually held against any accidental transverse displacement, while at the same time longitudinal movement of the guard upon the chain is not interfered with.

Owing to the spring material of which the clips are made they may be readily disengaged when it is desired to remove the guard.

I prefer to form the guard with raised ridges e at the upper corners running the entire length of the guard, and instead of using rubber strips for securing the clips I may slit these ridges at their bases and pass the clips through the slits, as shown in Fig. 2.

The ridges I find to add to the effectiveness of the guard in using a bicycle provided with the guard in rain-storms, the channel formed by the ridges keeping over the sides and into the chain at its lowest To all whom) it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE M'BROWN- ELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Stroudsburg, Monroe county, Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Revolving Guards for Cycle- Chains, of which the following is a specification.

My pres lfifinvention relates to improvements in ch-c i uards for the chains of bicycles of that class in which an endless guard, preferably of rubber, is used, which incloses the chain on three sides and travels with it. I have found that in the use of such guards there is a tendency of the chain to jump out of the channel owing to the necessary slackness of the chain and the elasticity of the rubher, the lateral vibration of the chain causing the endless guard to be thrown off at some point and in the forward movement of the chain to be run entirely off of the same. As in guards of this nature the guard not only travels with the chain, but has a tendency to travel faster than the chain, rigid connections cannot be provided, as they would tend to interfere with the free movement of It is the object of the present invention to provide a connection which while effectually preventing the guard from jumping or runoint. ning off or free from the chain will yet per- The water would come in contact with the init it to move longitudinally thereof. forward sprocket at the point where the chain The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure lis a perspective view of a portion of an endless guard. Fig. 2 is a cross-section showing a modified way of fastening the clip, and Fig. 3 is aplan view of Fig. 1.

In the figures, A represents the guard which consists of a channel strip of rubber molded to the desired shape, having side portions a, which embrace the sides of the chain (indicated at b) and are provided at their edges with inwardly-turned lips or flanges a, corresponding approximately in width to the thickness of the side links b of the chain.

The fastening or connecting means for holding the guard upon the chain comprises a series of spring-metal clips of the shape of the guard in cross-section, as shown at 0. These clips are made of about, three-eighths of an and sprocket-teeth engage and then be deposited in the lower half of the chain and guard, this being now obviated by running the water off as the guard goes over the sprockets.

In order to counteract the tendency of the side walls of the guard to pucker or wrinkle when bending in passing around the sprocketwheels and to thus'insure the contact of the inwardly-turned flanges with the sprocketwheel at all points, I find it desirable to incline these side walls inward, so that it is dovetailed in cross-section. By this construction any tendency to pucker or wrinkle outward is removed and the tendency to pucker inward is met by suring a close joint between Wheel and guard.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In combination, the chain, the flexible the sprocketinch in width and are placed about six inches water from dripping the sprocket-wheel, thus inclips passing guard-strip moving therewith and having a channeled outer face acting to shed the Water substantially as described.

2. In combination, the chain, the flexible guard-stri p moving therewith and having ribs or ridges at its outer corners, substantially as described.-

3. In combination, the chain, the flexible guard-strip moving therewith and having ribs or ridges at itsouter corners and the spring through slits in said ridges and connecting the guard with the chain, substantially as described. 4. A guard for a cycle-chain comprising a flexible strip having a dovetailed channel, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature presence of two Witnesses.

CLARENCE M. BROWN ELL.

Witnesses:

ROBT. GRUVER,

M. E. MILLER. 

